This is how to make materials flow (EN)

You’ve designed a pull system. Flow cells are set up, kanban cards are hanging on the board, and the future state map looks promising. And yet, in practice, it’s not working. Materials arrive late or in batches that are too large. Routes are inefficient. No one knows exactly who needs to replenish what and when.

The design isn't the problem. The implementation is the problem. And that's exactly what this workbook is about.

What will you learn in "How to Let Materials Flow"?

How to Keep Materials Flowing focuses on the operational side of materials management—the part that other Lean workbooks largely skip over. Not how to design a pull system, but how to make it work in the day-to-day reality of production.

At the heart of the workbook is the Plan For Every Part (PFEP): a structured approach to managing all aspects of material control for each component. Using the PFEP, you’ll learn how to set up kanban systems that actually work in practice, based on six concrete design rules.

The book covers the two types of material supply routes (linked and unlinked) and explains how each choice affects capacity utilization and inventory levels. You will learn about the two forms of replenishment and how to determine which is most suitable for your situation. Using a comprehensive practical case study, richly illustrated with diagrams and concrete examples, you will see step by step how a working system is built.

Why should I read *Let the Materials Flow*?

Material management is often viewed as a technical detail that will fall into place once the broader Lean structures are in place. That assumption is incorrect, and this workbook demonstrates that convincingly.

Toyota implements pull systems in production environments involving thousands of parts and a high degree of complexity. This isn’t achieved through a simple design, but through a meticulously developed system of routes, replenishment times, inventory levels, and standards for internal logistics. *How to Keep Materials Flowing* is the workbook that describes this process step by step, thereby providing the missing piece for anyone who not only wants a pull system but also wants to make it work.

This book builds on *How to Create a Leveled Pull System* (the design) and *How to Create Continuous Flow* (optimizing flow within work cells), but can also be used on its own as a practical guide to internal logistics and materials management.

Who is *Zo laat je materialen stromen* written for?

• Production planners and logistics coordinators who want to implement a pull system
• Operations and production managers who are struggling with inefficient material flows
• Lean practitioners who want to move from design to implementation
• Industrial engineers responsible for designing internal logistics systems

What do fellow writers think of this book?

"This is the workbook that bridges the gap between the pull system on paper and the pull system in practice. That gap is exactly where most implementations fall short." — John Shook, former CEO of the Lean Enterprise Institute and co-author of Seeing Is Believing

"*How to Make Materials Flow* fills a persistent gap in the Lean workbook series. Anyone who takes pull seriously needs this book not only during the design phase but also on the shop floor." — Jim Womack, founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute

Additional Information

About the authors

Rick Harris is an experienced Lean consultant and manufacturing professional, known for his previous collaboration with Mike Rother on *How to Create Continuous Flow*. His expertise lies in translating Lean principles into concrete, functioning systems on the shop floor, with a particular focus on the details that make the difference between a good design and a well-functioning system.

Chris Harris collaborates with Rick Harris on the practical application of Lean in manufacturing environments. His background in operations and materials management forms the basis for the detailed case studies and concrete recommendations that characterize this workbook.

Earl Wilson is a Lean specialist with years of experience in internal logistics and material flows in complex manufacturing environments. His contribution to this book reflects in-depth practical knowledge of what it takes to make pull systems truly operational.